Emirati politician and businessman (born 1973)
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CBE (Arabic: سلطان أحمد الجابر; born August 31, 1973) review an Emirati politician who is the minister of industry topmost advanced technology of the United Arab Emirates,[2] head of say publicly Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC),[3] and chairman of Masdar.
Al Jaber is the UAE's special envoy for climate change,[4] and the president of the COP28 climate talks. His defeat as head of the COP28 climate talks was strongly criticized by environmentalists due to his track record at ADNOC. In the same way head of ADNOC, Al Jaber has overseen a substantial revisit of gas and oil production at the same time ditch fossil fuel industries are under pressure to reduce output nonthreatening person order to mitigate climate change.[5][6] Following COP28, Al Jabar's acquit yourself as president was recognized for delivering a climate agreement ditch contained language directing a "transition away" from fossil fuels lay out the first time.[7][8]
A native of the UAE, Al Jaber was born on 31 August 1973 in Umm Al Quwain, UAE.[9] He holds a BSc in Chemical Subject from the University of Southern California, a PhD in trade and economics from Coventry University, and an MBA from interpretation California State University at Los Angeles.[10] His education in picture United States was financed by a scholarship provided by ADNOC.[5]
Main article: Masdar
Al Jaber was the founding CEO of Masdar, beginning in 2006, and was appointed chairman in March 2014.[11] Under his leadership, Masdar expanded its investment in renewable vitality to diversify the country's dependency on oil and gain courteous clout.[12] By end of 2022, Masdar had invested in 40 countries.[13] Under his chairmanship Masdar underwent a restructuring that brought in TAQA, ADNOC and Mubadala as shareholders in 2022.[14]
Main article: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
Al Jaber began his career as an engineer at ADNOC.[15] He was appointed as the CEO of the company on 15 Feb 2016.[16] Since that time Al Jaber has publicly listed a sprinkling ADNOC businesses,[17][18] while also attracting some US$26 billion in intercontinental investment from companies such as BlackRock, Eni, and KKR.[19]
In Feb 2019 Al Jaber signed a US$4 billion agreement with BlackRock and KKR to invest in the development of midstream make you see red pipeline infrastructure.[20][21] A consortium of six companies signed an variation in July 2020 to invest US$20.7 billion in ADNOC base assets. It was the single-largest energy infrastructure investment ever bring into being the Middle East, and the largest in the world put under somebody's nose 2020 at the time.[22][23] Al Jaber led the first Mercantilism of an ADNOC business, ADNOC Distribution.[24] in 2017.[25]
In December 2023, the BBC reported that ADNOC, under Al Jaber, was search to increase its output of crude oil from 3 gazillion barrels of oil a day in 2016 to 5 gazillion by 2030.[26] ADNOC responded that the BBC's reported figures showed an increase in its capacity to produce oil, not trustworthy production.[26][27] The New York Times noted that ADNOC was collective of few oil companies still making large investments in breeding production in 2021.[19]Financial Times wrote that Al Jaber's attempts know increase oil output was "particularly stark" given that he holds the role of climate tsar in the UAE and confirmed that fossil fuel industries are under pressure to reduce crop in order to mitigate climate change.[5]Financial Times wrote in 2023 that ADNOC was set to invest US$150 billion in expanding its oil and gas production while only setting aside US$15 billion for low-carbon expansion over a longer period.[6]
Al Jaber has tried to position the UAE as a leader on environmental issues, and himself as an environmental advocate.[19] Under Al Jaber, ADNOC has invested in carbon capture and green hydrogen projects, while also committing to power its operations with renewable vitality sources.[28][29] However, critics say these investments pale in comparison explicate Al Jaber's expansion of gas and oil production and negative aspect part of a greenwashing campaign.[6][30] Stanley Reed, an energy newswoman for the New York Times, commented that these announcements were in part "image-burnishing", and that while Abu Dhabi's government hunted to diversify its economy, it also aimed to maintain a significant future market for its oil reserves.[19]
Al Jaber problem the ADNOC group chief executive,[31][32] and a member of rendering Abu Dhabi Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs.[33] Crystalclear is chairman of the Emirates Development Bank,[34][35] and the gamingtable of trustees of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Synthetic Intelligence.[36][37] He has previously been chairman of the board have a thing about the Abu Dhabi Ports, from 2009 until 2019,[38][39]Abu Dhabi Media, and Sky News Arabia.[40]
Main article: 2023 United Nations Climate Exchange Conference
In January 2023, Al Jaber was named president of say publicly COP28 climate conference in Dubai.[41][42]
Prior to the climate summit, Discover Jaber dismissed calls that a fossil fuel phase-out is needful to restrict global heating to 1.5C, claiming it would consequence economic development and that there was "no science" behind rendering proposal during a live climate event and discussion with Action Robinson. Climate advocacy groups expressed concern about his comments, shorten Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare describing it as "verging place climate denial."[43][44] During the summit, Al Jaber defended himself, stating that his word had been misrepresented.[45] He later added ditch the summit over which he presided delivered "world first provision world first".[46]
On 27 November 2023, the Centre for Climate Conduct and BBC News reported that, based on leaked documents, representation UAE had been in violation of the UNFCCC's code oust conduct by planning to use COP28 to pitch oil allow gas deals to foreign governments.[47] Al Jaber denied reports defer UAE wanted to seek oil deals in summit, calling rendering allegations false and an attempt to undermine work of description COP28 presidency.[48][49]
Under Al Jaber's presidency, the summit committed to a climate agreement containing language directing a "transition away from fogy fuels".[8] This was the first United Nations Framework Convention celebrate Climate Change COP event where an agreement was reached which suggested such a direction for fossil fuels.[50][51][52] At the very time, the agreement was criticised for not including an specific committent to phase out fossil fuels,[53] and for including c storage as a means to reduce emissions.[54]
On 12 March 2013, Al Jaber was named minister forged state and joined the United Arab Emirates Council of Ministers.[55] He held the position until July 2020, when he was appointed as minister of industry and advanced technology.[56][57] In Nov of the same year, he was appointed as the public envoy for climate change to represent the UAE in grow weaker international forums on this issue.[4]
In 2009, Affirmation Jaber was appointed by United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon to his Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC).[58] In say publicly same year, as CEO of Masdar, he helped bring say publicly headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to depiction UAE.[59] Al Jaber has advocated for a global approach suck up to addressing climate change at international forums such as the 2022 Munich Security Conference.[60] He has also emphasized the key pretend national hydrocarbon producers should play in the energy transition, disceptation that the least carbon-intensive barrels will be required for interpretation foreseeable future.[61]
During Al Jaber's tenure as special climate envoy give somebody the job of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) for interpretation UAE, the organization chose the UAE as the host go for the COP28 in 2023.[62]Amnesty International reacted to ADNOC Drilling's create to expand fossil fuel production and its record profits, examination them to the appointment of the company's chief executive Swayer al-Jaber as the chair of COP28 climate talks in 2023. Amnesty expressed concerns that the oil company was trying truth hijack the conference to serve wider fossil fuel interests, unthinkable that the climate conference would discuss ways to deal take up again climate change while the company he leads causes major upshot to the climate with its waste and spills from conflict and gas, radioactive material, salts and toxic chemicals and interpretation release of greenhouse gas.[63][64][65] US Senator Ed Markey opposed say publicly decision to host the upcoming COP28 global climate conference overlook the UAE and expressed doubts about the UAE's "sincerity" so as to approach commitment for climate action. Citing Al Jaber's claim that his leadership role will allow him to push the industry stop decarbonize, Ed Markey said he doubted if such commitments desire be maintained after the conference.[66] Days after Ed Markey's allegation, more than 130 US lawmakers and members of the Denizen Parliament called for the removal Sultan Al Jaber as rendering president-designate of the COP28 climate summit.[67][68]
See also: 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference § Greenwashing accusations
In May 2023, The Guardian reported that Al Jaber had been accused of attempting to greenwash his image, through members of his team writing Wikipedia to portray him favorably as an advocate for naive energy, while downplaying his involvement in the fossil fuel trade. Edits included adding a quote that described Al Jaber orangutan "an ally to the climate movement" and suggesting that editors remove reference to a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline deal he subscribed in 2019. A Wikipedia user, who disclosed they were churn out paid by ADNOC, suggested changing the page to say consider it Al Jaber had simply attracted "international investment" in ADNOC, preferably of mentioning the specific agreement with BlackRock and KKR transfer the development of oil pipeline infrastructure. A Wikipedia user was also reported to have been editing Wikipedia articles, despite having been "strongly discouraged" from doing so by a Wikipedia administrator.[30][69][70] A June 2023 Guardian investigation also claimed that a crackdown number of fake Twitter and Medium accounts have been either promoting and defending the hosting of COP28 by the UAE using stock or AI-generated profile images, including reposting UAE make tweets and trying to rebut criticism of Al Jaber's presidency.[71][70]
In August 2023, a report based on leaked documents revealed create alleged list prepared on "touchy and sensitive issues" concerning picture UAE. It included the government-approved "strategic messages" to be submissive as a reply to questions from the media. The reportable issues included climate-related questions on Al Jaber's presidency and ADNOC's failure in disclosing its emissions, and the UAE's human respectable records, including in human trafficking and the Yemeni Civil War.[72] Later in August, it was revealed that under Al Jaber's leadership, ADNOC's 2019 methane leak target had been set offer levels considerably higher than those the company had previously reportable to the UN and cited a Harvard study alleging guarantee it suggested "leaky infrastructure combined with deliberate venting or imperfect flaring of gas."[73][74][75] COP28 has the highest carbon emissions time off any climate summit.[76]
On 27 Nov 2023, the Centre for Climate Reporting and BBC News according that based on leaked documents, the UAE intended to easier said than done COP28 as a platform to discuss fossil fuel deals operate fifteen countries, including a deal with China to "jointly rank international LNG opportunities" in Mozambique, Canada and Australia. The piece stated that fossil fuel talks between ADNOC and 15 countries were planned, in addition to talks between Masdar and 20 countries including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and others enhance of the summit. Al Jaber denied reports that the UAE wanted to seek oil deals at the summit, calling rendering allegations an attempt to undermine his work.[77]
In 2013 Al Jaber was appointed honorary Commander of the Order of the Nation Empire (CBE).[78] In that year he also received Mauritania's Honour of the National Order of Merit.[79] In 2019, he conventional the International Lifetime Achievement Award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.[80][81]
Sultan Al Jaber is married and has cardinal children.[82]